What Is Chiropractic?

What is Chiropractic?

One of the most common questions for people who have never been to a chiropractor before is, “What is chiropractic?” Chiropractic is a complimentary and alternative health care profession that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of neuromusculoskeletal disorders in the body. Chiropractors also focus on the general health of the patient and treat the person as a whole, and not just the symptoms. “Chiropractic” comes from the Greek word Chiropraktikos, meaning “effective treatment by hand.”

— Doctors of chiropractic emphasize the conservative management of the neuromusculoskeletal system without the use of medicine or surgery. —

Doctors of chiropractic emphasize the conservative management of the neuromusculoskeletal system without the use of medicine or surgery. All chiropractors use thorough examination to diagnose a patient’s condition and arrive at a course of treatment. Chiropractors use the same methods of consultation, case history, physical examination, laboratory analysis and x-ray examination as other health care professionals. In addition, they provide a careful chiropractic structural and biomechanical examination, paying particular attention to the spine.

This is an image of a spinal segment (2 adjoining vertebra). You can see the disc (blue), the spinal cord (pink), and the spinal nerves (yellow).

The examination of the spine to evaluate structure and function is what makes chiropractic different from other health care providers. Your spinal column is a series of moving bones which begin at the base of your skull and end at your tailbone. Thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves extend down the spine from the brain and exit through a series of openings. The nerves leave the spine and form a complicated network which influences every living tissue in your body. This is why many people can have intense leg pain with a low back injury or tingling fingers after a whiplash injury.

Chiropractic also places an emphasis on nutritional and exercise programs. This is all part of wellness and lifestyle modifications for promoting physical and mental health. While chiropractors make no use of drugs or surgery, they do refer patients for medical care when those interventions are indicated. In fact, chiropractors, medical doctors, physical therapists and other health care professionals now work as partners in restoring and maintaining the health of their patients.

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I am a chiropractor who specializes in headaches and vertigo. I’ve had so many people come into my office with chronic headaches that won’t go away. They’ve tried the pills, they’ve tried the nerve blocks, they’ve tried massage. Some even have tried other chiropractors. Many of my patients tell me the headache and dizziness are gone after one treatment. My goal is to help everyone feel their best.

A recent medical report, however, states that the benefits of spinal adjustment far outweigh any risks and they suggest ensuring your chiropractor is licensed and to
read reviews on that particular office. Many people
suffer unnecessarily from back pain, neck pain and joint pain.
This is important because each and every reasons of pain calls
for a unique treatment plan and approach.

Thanks for the comment. I agree. There is no cookie cutter approach to patient treatment. This is one reason I love being a chiropractor! I can pinpoint the source of pain and help eliminate the problem.

[…] sure a large handful of us have even experienced some sort of sports related injury before. Chiropractors are great sports doctors because of the intensive orthopedic training they receive. A sports […]